Free Diving While Pregnant

MermaidMom123 · February 2014

I am an underwater model. It is my passion as well as my art and career. I have been researching online to find more women who have free dived while pregnant and have only read about a few. My OB is well aware of my profession, and since discovering my pregnancy he and I have gone over my future photo shoots, and he's outlined safe practices for me to follow. So far he's just limited me to diving down to only 10 feet, I have to shorten my breath hold (under one minute), and he's totally fine with me diving with sharks, whales, and other wildlife while pregnant (I have one dive specifically with whalesharks in Mexico). Are there any other free diving moms to be out there? Please share your experiences! There's hardly anything online about this.

cMichelle0423 · February 2014

This has to be a joke. Do yourself a favor and qfp... like now.

MermaidMom123 · February 2014

Michelle, this is not a joke. I'm just reaching out to other pregnant women who are also free divers. I don't know what a qfp is...?

MermaidMom123 · February 2014

@mamakate, how did snorkeling go for you while pregnant?

GlitterMuffin914 · February 2014

No experience with that. Is there some kind of free diver community you could join? Perhaps they have a message board with people who might have more experience with that sort of thing.

Just like any physical activity, if you're being extra careful and following your doctor's guidelines and doing what your body feels it is okay with, You'll likely be fine.

Unless a shark eats you.

Just kidding.

AndreaKae27 · February 2014

Dafuq?

ADH0906 · February 2014

Kimbus22 said:
Ummm....exactly how much demand is there for underwater pregnant modeling that this is an issue?

Backing out of the thread now since I came in thinking it was called "Fear Driving While Pregnant"...

^THIS. Also, I didn't realize underwear models had to be free divers. The more you know!

linnae939 · February 2014

I would just follow your OBs reccomendations. Whalesharks are beautiful! and totally safe!!! I swam with them off the coast of australia. I am an avid scuba diver, and that, unfortunately, does have to stop

Squiddly · February 2014

ADH0906 said:

Ummm....exactly how much demand is there for underwater pregnant modeling that this is an issue?

Backing out of the thread now since I came in thinking it was called "Fear Driving While Pregnant"...
^THIS. Also, I didn't realize underwear models had to be free divers. The more you know!

She wrote underWATER model. I read it wrong the first time too... I was like "they want a pregnant woman in her underwear in the ocean?"

ETA: grammar

MermaidMom123 · February 2014

There is not a demand for pregnant underwater models...lol...I had already booked my photoshoots as I book my shoots very far in advance. This pregnancy was a complete surprise and a happy one. So, I called the people in charge of the photoshoot in Mexico immediately once I found out about the pregnancy and let them know. I thought they would cancel but instead wanted to make this a photoshoot that has never been done before and I am excited about it. Darbie 914: There's a lot of debate about breath holding while pregnant. Free divers are trained in putting their body into a state of complete relaxation. We can lower our heartbeats so that our bodies utilize less oxygen, allowing us to stay underwater longer. I can stay under for minutes at a time comfortably. It's not like you're really holding your breath, it's slowly exhaling your breath. Now, if a pregnant mom were to try out free diving for the first time, then I would not recommend that at all bc her body is not used to it. I've searched diving boards just for divers, and I saw posts from years ago about a pregnant mom who free dived until she was 6 months along and she dived down depths of 170 ft and her baby was fine. Of course there were all male responses who mostly ridiculed her for it, but anyways, that thread was old. Free divers are a small community, women who are free divers, an even smaller one, and now pregnant free divers...I just wanted to post on here to see if I could meet someone else who free dives and is pregnant without the threat of males being ugly to us and spouting their ignorance. If not, at least maybe this thread will be of help to someone in the future.

ADH0906 · February 2014

Squiddly said:

ADH0906 said:

Kimbus22 said:
Ummm....exactly how much demand is there for underwater pregnant modeling that this is an issue?

Backing out of the thread now since I came in thinking it was called "Fear Driving While Pregnant"...
^THIS. Also, I didn't realize underwear models had to be free divers. The more you know!

She wrote underWATER model. I read it wrong the first time too... I was like "they want a pregnant woman in her underwear in the ocean?"

ETA: grammar

Hahahahaha I am an idiot. I was seriously like 'JFC, how much need is there for an underwater underwear model that's knocked up?! I must live under a rock!!!1!!11!!!' ...which I apparently do. Carry on, guyz.

drae86 · February 2014

@MermaidMom123, I wish you luck with the free diving! Sounds like a very fun gig! While not a free diver per say I've swam my whole life and was actually surprised that the OB limited you to ten feet. I wouldn't have thought twice of going down past 10 feet being in any body of water during pregnancy. Thanks for posting that piece of advice. I don't have any knowledge to offer you specifically in free diving. But I think you have the right idea on discussiong with your OB and more imporantly than that I believe in listening to your body. Most of the time it'll tell you when your pushing the limits (my opinion!)

I was actually going to post a question on whether any others expecting had participated in open water swims. I'm signed up for two this spring and I really don't want to back out of it. But I think I may just ask OB instead.

FemShep · February 2014

Hi @MermaidMom123! Congrats on your pregnancy!

One thing to keep in mind-as your pregnancy progresses, depending on your build, you may find it difficult to breathe normally, especially in your last trimester. I'm fairly petite and short-waisted, and although I was in pretty good shape, with both pregnancies, I had a very hard time breathing deeply after 20 weeks or so, and often found myself very short of breath. Growing baby plus limited amount of space equals squished everything.

Continue to consult with your OB, and make sure you listen to your body as well. If you're tired, if you're having trouble breathing, stop. It can be frustrating to give up a favorite activity while pregnant, but the payoff is well worth it. Good luck!

cMichelle0423 · February 2014

WhoCanItBeNow said:
Your baby needs oxygen. Slowing down your body so it utilizes less is stupid.

This.... plus you'll realize soon that with all the extra blood flow, your body works harder to get the blood moving throughout the body.... I can't tell you how many times I've almost passed out from running out of breath just standing... and I'm in pretty good shape...

yvanehtnioj · February 2014

I have no experience with diving but what you said about using less oxygen made me think of how much more winded you get while pregnant. I mean, really winded. Really quickly. So it may not be physically possible for you to dive & hold your breath as you normally do. Please make sure you can quickly get some air so if you find yourself struggling or not reacting as expected, you're not stuck.

Erin0303 · February 2014

I'm a PADI Divemaster. You should not be compressing your body while pregnant. There is no good such thing. Scuba is out of the question. The water pressure cannot be good for baby regardless. I wouldn't... But to each their own?!

MermaidMom123 · February 2014

Thank you all for your comments. I realize that what I do for a job is very different than what most of you do, and I appreciate your positive posts. @Erin0303 that is great you are a dive master. Never did I mention SCUBA in my post bc I know not to breathe compressed air while pregnant. I dive 3-4 days a week to 10 feet to practice. I don't feel any compression or anything uncomfortable at all. I'm not asking for people's opinions or approval of what I do. Just looking for other pregnant women who are interested in this activity. Because I am a free diver and practice my breathing skills everyday for this, I normally have a lower heart rate and metabolism than a person who doesn't. I also have a great resource for naturally dealing with pain. My free diving instructor is so amazing! I don't know how he did it, but he was telling me about getting a filling at the dentist and getting no numbing agents, gas, or anything, just using free diving techniques to feel no pain while the dentist drilled away. I can only imagine how those techniques would help me through childbirth. @FemShep thank you for the advice about the breathing changes. @drae86 you should be totally fine swimming. It is the best exercise I think. I'm excited that I just met another pregnant woman (she's in her third trimester) at the pool where I train. She was swimming laps and told me this was her only way to exercise. She is a runner, very athletic like myself, but running was starting to hurt so she replaced it with swimming under the advisement of her OB. Please share with me your experience swimming in the open water, and I will share mine

Erin0303 · February 2014

I know you are not scuba diving. It was an additive sentence after addressing the compression of your body in general while only diving. I would not go under water while pregnant. I also previously worked a job where I would free dive to 30 feet weekly and scuba dive weekly. Both went out the window when I was KU.

Everyusernameistaken · February 2014

It's just so weird to me that you're ok with doing this while pregnant when in your other thread ("How do you work while pregnant?") you seem to be implying that working in more traditional fields (ie, teacher) is a recipe for "sad results" for your pregnancy...

momthatlifts · February 2014

You're fucking weird.

outnumbered · February 2014

Because I am a free diver and practice my breathing skills everyday for this, I normally have a lower heart rate and metabolism than a person who doesn't.

You might be a free diver, but your baby is not. He/she requires the same amount of oxygen that any other in utero- baby does. Your body has been trained to handle oxygen deprivation, but your fetus has not. I swam throughout all my pregnancies, but I did not hold my breath for extended periods of time.

caballablanca · February 2014

I thought my dog and cat were clingy while pregnant, couldn't imagine a whale trying to suck up to me.

rae_dylanzmom · February 2014

@Erin0303, While your comments may be directionally correct, I wanted to clarify that no testing has been done to understand what compression does to an unborn fetus. It has been considered an unethical thing to study. Therefore it is considered unsafe for pregnant women to dive. (I'm a PADI instructor.)

@Mollygirl1, Equating holding your breath for less than a minute to holding your hand over your baby's face is crazy talk. Didn't you catch that thread a few months back where we learned a baby breathes through your vagina? (Best thread EVER, btw.)

That said, @MermaidMom123, the comments about extended breath holding have already been covered and unfortunately, I do agree with them. Regarding your comments about breathing and pain management, check out Hypnobabies/Hypnobirth. The linkage between guided meditation, breath work, and natural birth. You might really get into it.

Pepper6 · February 2014

I went snorkeling around 8 weeks pregnant and did some very short free dives (less than 10 ft, and less than 20 seconds), but even if I was a trained free-diver, I would not do any prolonged dives because there's just not enough research on how the water pressure and oxygen deprivation can affect a fetus.

Everyusernameistaken · February 2014

I thought maybe her fish thread was referring to a previous loss...?

jlbeck514 · February 2014

I have no clue and am no dr, but I would think that even though you are used to lowering oxygen, a baby isnt and therefor needs normal levels of oxygen. I would get a couple of medical opinions familiar with the sport. Better safe then sorry

PrimRoseMama · February 2014

https://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ask-dr-decompression/418896-freediving-while-pregnant.html

It is generally not recommended. There are others interested in the activity. As you can see in the above thread there is generally no safe way to free dive while pregnant.

yvanehtnioj · February 2014

OP this is all so weird. If the point of this thread was to share free diving experiences I think you have your answer: nobody here has any to share. We have thoughts and opinions on the safety of said activity, to which you would rather post dreamy novellas than heed. What's the score here, what's next? Do you just go away? I don't get it.

flyermedic · June 2014

This is a serious topic. Many women, like myself, free dive for fun and spear fish. I am four months and wondering what is a safe depth to go to. The person who started this post hit the nail on the head. There is little to no information on this topic to be found. Even my obgyn said "I don't know."

flyermedic · June 2014

Mermaid mom….I just have to also say that I came upon this post to find legitimate smart answers to questions. What I am finding amazing is the amount of purely mean women on here who are lambasting your life and job because of your question. So sad.

cMichelle0423 · June 2014

@flyermedic‌ and you felt the need to dig up a 4 month thread why?

lizzyp9112 · June 2014

Oh GDI I got sucked into a zombie thread without realizing it.

/lurker out

kelleydives · June 2014

Hi! Just ran across your post and wanted to connect you with a great resource. Check out Ashley Futral Chapman of Evolve Freediving - she just had a baby last year. She is a world record holding freediver and accomplished instructor. I'm sure she would be happy to share her personal experience with you.

https://evolvefreediving.com/

Good luck - realize I saw your post a few months after the fact, but hope this is helpful to you.

dragontears507 · June 2014

Regardless of opinions on breath holding, you may find that you're not able to. I was in great shape prior to getting pregnant and even taught several spinning classes. Now, I get winded just going up the stairs and tired easily on walks. Keep that in mind.

Manateearmz · June 2014

Zombie thread twice? Come on you guys let it die.

MermaidMom123 · August 2014

It's been awhile and I thought I'd update this in case any other pregnant woman wants to continue free diving. It has worked out very well for me. I've continued my free diving up until a few weeks ago when I got to swim with whale sharks in Mexico. I also worked in a shark aquarium and free dived in the Caribbean during this pregnancy, all while holding my breath and not using SCUBA. My OB has remarked that I've had one of the best pregnancies he's seen. I have had no swelling, no varicose veins, no cramping, my blood pressure has been great, my baby's hb normal, and blood tests have revealed that I have high oxygen levels. Every appointment has shown that my baby is right on target in her development. Pregnancy has not been kind to the women in my family, yet it's been very good to me and my OB thinks that all the swimming I do is responsible for it. Always check with your OB before continuing anything (as I did), but I wanted to share my experience in case there is a pregnant woman out there who wants to keep up her free diving as I have done.

Unknown · August 2014

This content has been removed.

MallardDucky · August 2014

Ummm do you want a cookie?

cafecreme · August 2014

MermaidMom123 said:

It's been awhile and I thought I'd update this in case any other pregnant woman wants to continue free diving. It has worked out very well for me. I've continued my free diving up until a few weeks ago when I got to swim with whale sharks in Mexico. I also worked in a shark aquarium and free dived in the Caribbean during this pregnancy, all while holding my breath and not using SCUBA. My OB has remarked that I've had one of the best pregnancies he's seen. I have had no swelling, no varicose veins, no cramping, my blood pressure has been great, my baby's hb normal, and blood tests have revealed that I have high oxygen levels. Every appointment has shown that my baby is right on target in her development. Pregnancy has not been kind to the women in my family, yet it's been very good to me and my OB thinks that all the swimming I do is responsible for it. Always check with your OB before continuing anything (as I did), but I wanted to share my experience in case there is a pregnant woman out there who wants to keep up her free diving as I have done.

I still don't understand why you put your baby through unnecessary, potential danger. FYI the baby's hb, development and your blood tests can all be perfectly normal even with a child with special needs. With that being said, I hope your baby pops out OK, MermaidMom.

Quick story: My aunt smoked marijuana once during her pregnancy, and my cousin is special needs. Everything turned out fine until around the age of 3-4, she realized she wasn't progressing like other kids. Not genetic or anything, they just told my aunt that it was due to lack of oxygen to the brain at one point in-utero. My aunt won't forgive herself for doing harm to her baby.

cakeisgood · August 2014

preggersINschool25 · August 2014

My son has special needs. He was born 40 weeks and healthy. No sign of any issues. Noticed at 4 months something was off.. delays got worse and worse. He is now 2.5 years old and cannot sit up from laying down, crawl, walk, stand without help, eat (he has a feeding tube since 13 months old) or talk.

My point is you can't know ALL the effects are until later.

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